Bye, Bye Bethesda Launcher: The platform will soon be discontinued completely. However, you will be able to transfer your games to Steam.
What once started slowly in 2016 as an encapsulation of Steam is soon history: Bethesda announces that it will completely discontinue its own Bethesda Launcher later this year. Instead, it’s going completely back to Valve’s distribution platform, having already gone down that road in 2019.
Those who have purchased or activated games in the Bethesda Launcher in the past need not fear any disadvantages: You can transfer your entire library to Steam. We’ll tell you which dates are important for this and what else you need to bear in mind.
Bethesda Launcher discontinued: All the important info
How long will the Bethesda Launcher be available?
Not for long. The platform will be discontinued on 11 May. You will still have access to your game library, but you will no longer be able to play them. Instead, you will be forced to transfer your games to Steam.
When does the transfer to Steam begin?
According to Bethesda, the migration process will start on 27 April. From that day on, you can run the process at any time and transfer your Bethesda games directly to Steam. There are no instructions on how the process will work at this time.
What will be transferred when you switch to Steam?
When transferring, all your purchased games and DLCs will be transferred from the Bethesda Launcher to Steam. This also applies to virtual game currencies such as the Atoms from Fallout 76 – the Bethesda.net wallet will also be available to you on Steam.
What about game scores?
You can also transfer your game saves – with restrictions. According to Bethesda, almost all game saves will be transferable either automatically or manually. The latter involves copying your save folder into the Steam folder.
Bethesda has not yet revealed which games are affected by a manual transfer. However, a list will follow soon.
The only exception is Wolfenstein: Youngblood, for which no save will be transferable. So if you don’t want to start the co-op spin-off of the Wolfenstein series over again, you have to hurry now. Otherwise, you could lose your progress in the game.
What about Fallout 76?
Fallout 76 has been playable on Steam for some time now and was even briefly available as a transfer on Valve’s platform. With the end of the Bethesda Launcher, the complete move now follows for all players.
When transferring to Steam, your character and season progress will be transferred, as well as all atoms on your account. Your Fallout 1st membership will also be transferred over, but you will immediately be credited with all atoms from the remaining term of your membership. In addition, your subscription will not be renewed automatically after expiration, but you will have to confirm this manually via Steam.
Do you still need a Bethesda.net account?
Yes, because even after the transfer, some of the Bethesda games rely on a Bethesda.net login. So you definitely shouldn’t forget your account data?